Feed-water regulator.



LB. FULTON.

FEED WATER REGULATOR.

APPLIUATION FILED 11.0v.29, 1910.

Patented Deel 5, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

L. B. FULTON.

FEED WATER REGULA'IOB..r APPLIOATIN FILED 11011.29, 1910.

Patented D00. 5, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

L. Haig@ coLUMBlA PLANOGRAPH CD..WASHIN010N. D. C.

LOUIS B. FULTON, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

FEED-WATER REGULATOR.

i Specicationof Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

Application led November 29, 1910. ,Serial No. 594,662.

To all whom it may concern.: v Beit` known that I, LOUIS B. FULTON, ofPittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and vState ofPennsylvania,.haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed- Water Regulators;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to that class of feed. water regulators whereinthe controlling valve in the feed line is normally held to its seat bysteam pressure acting against a piston in a chamber which is connectedwith the steam space of theboiler, and which pressure is automaticallyreleased when the water in the boiler falls below the normal level. thevalve thereupon opening automatically and remaining open until theproper quantity of water has been supplied.

The present invention relates more particularly to the construction andarrangement of the means for controlling the admission and the exhaustof steam to and from the pressure chamber of the controlling valve, andthe object thereof is to prov vide simple and highly efficient meanswhich will be positive in operation and not liable to readily lget outof order.

VA further object of the invention is to provide simple and highlyeiicient means for avoiding all possibilityl of leakage of steam fromthe pressure chamber around the piston of the controlling valve.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation showing the feedwater regulator applied to a boiler. Fig. -2 is an enlarged verticalsectional view. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the steam supplyand exhaust valves at right angles to the position shown in Fig. 2. Fig.4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the controlling valve. Fig.5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the controlling valve piston.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the controlling valve which isshown as located in the feed line 2 andas provided with a lstem 3 whichhas a threaded portion connecting with the depending stem 4 of a piston5 which is movable longitudinally in a pressure chamber 6, the casing ofwhich forms part of the casing of valve 1. Valve 1 is normally held toits seat by steam pressure in chamber 6, and it is automaticallyunseated, when this pressure is relieved, by the lifting action of thewater against the under face of thevalve coupled with the action ofspring 7 encircling the piston stem 4. To prevent leakage of the steamaround the piston I form the latter with a depending circular flange 8which is designed to bear against gasket 9 tted ina groove formedbetween the outer wall of the bonnet 10 of the valve casing and theparallel portion 12 of anupwardly extending flange thereof. In practice,the piston is forced downwardly as far as possible, with valve 1 bearingfully on its seat, and thereupon, the lock-nut 13 being released, valvestem 3 is given a quarter turn backward, or thereabout, so thatthereafter the valve will not be firmly seated before the Harige 8 ofthe piston has been forced into firm engagement with gasket 9.

20 designates a chamber which is designed to be connected at its upperand lower ends to the steam and water spaces ofthe boiler, such chamberbeing preferably located above the` water level in the boilerv after themanner contemplated by Letters Patent No. 662,488 issued to me on Novem-'ber 27, 1900.- Within this chamber is a olisplacement body 21 which issuspended from the long arm of a lever 22, the short arm of whichengages the lower end of the stem 23 of a steam valve 24 which 'islocated in avertically disposed casing 25 ,coupled at' its 'lower end toa plug 26 mounted in a lateral extension of chamber 20. The casing 25 isalso secured by a bolt 26 toa projection 27 of said chamber. Whendisplacementbody 21 is raised, steam valve 24 is unseated,and steam fromthe boiler entering through connection 29 will pass through a small port3() in the .casing into a 'pressure pipe 31 which leads from one side ofthe casing to pressure chamber '6 of thecontrolling valve. At this timean exhaust valve 32 is held to its seat, which is in vertical line withthe seat of the steam valve, the two seats being at opposite ends of aport common to the pressure pipe 31. This exhaust valve 32 has a longcylindrical or piston-like body 33 which is movable wit-hin the upperportion of casing 25, and the latter is provided with a verticallyextending port 34 which leads from the entrance of the steam connection29 to the upper end of the casing where the steam acts downwardly on thepistonlike portion of valve 32 to hold it to its seat when steam valve24 is unseated.

When displacement body 21 is lowered in chamber 20 by the fall of thewater in the boiler below the normal water level, steam valve 24 will bemoved upwardly against its seat, and at the same time exhaust valve 32will be unseated, this latter action being effected by a connectionbetween the two valves in the form of a rod 36 seated in bores in thetwo valves, said rod being passed through the vertical passage betweenthe two valve seats. This rod 36 is of less cross sectional area thanthe passageway through which it is passed so that when valve 24 isunseated steam will pass from port 30 through said passageway topressure pipe 31. When the exhaust valve 32 is unseated the pressure inpipe 31 will be relieved, the steam escaping therefrom through port 37to the exhaust connection 38. At the same time the controlling valvewill be unseated, and will so remain until the proper quantity of waterhas been supplied. When water again enters chamber 20 and thedisplacement body is caused to rise, steam valve 24 will be free to movedownwardly from its seat, allowing steam to pass to pressure pipe 31 andchamber 6, effecting the seating of the controlling valve. At the sametime the exhaust valve will be seated by the direct action of steam onthe piston 33 thereof.

By thus constructing and arranging the steam and exhaust valves invertical line with each other, I am enabled to produce extremely simpleand inexpensive means for regulating the iow of steam to and its exhaustfrom the controlling valve of a feed water regulator. Should sedimentclog either of the valves, the latter, together with the housing orcasing may be readily re moved for inspection and cleansing.

l1`he advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled inthe art. Not only do I avoid the possibility of leakage around thepiston of the controlling valve, but I insure the positive seating andunseating of such valve by admitting and exhausting steam to thepressure pipe thereof.

It will also be noted that the exhaust valve 32 is positively held toits seat by steam pressure passing upwardly through port 34 when steamvalve 24 is unseated, and

also that the exhaust valve performs a double function, thatis to say,when it is forced to its seat it effects the opening or unseating of thesteam valve. In other words, the steam pressure on the piston of theexhaust valve seats the exhaust valve and, through it, opens the steamvalve. The valves will, respectively, remain in these positions untilforcibly shifted by the prime mover,'the rising of which latter isassisted by the downward movement of the piston of the exhaust valve,thus avoiding the necessity for a counterweight.

I claim as my invention:

1. A feed water regulator comprising, in combination, a controllingvalve located in the feed line, a casing for said valve having a steam.chamber, a piston fitted in said chamber and connected to said valve,said piston having a depending circumferential flange, a gasket withwhich said flange is designed to engage when said valve is forced to itsseat, a seat for said gasket carried by the valve casing, and means foradmitting steam to and exhausting it from said steam chamber.

2. A feed water regulator comprising, in combination, a controllingvalve located in the feed line, a casing for said valve having a steamchamber, a piston fitted in said chamber having a depending stem, saidvalve having a stem which is adjustably connected to the piston stem,and said piston having a depending circumferential flange, a gasket withwhich said ange is designed to engage before the valve is firmly seated,a seat for said gasket carried by the valve casing, and means foradmitting steam to and exhausting it from said steam chamber.

3. In a feed water regulator, the combination with a chamber designed tobe connected with the steam and water spaces of a boiler, and a primemover located therein, of a controlling valve in the feed line having asteam chamber, a casing having a steam inlet port and an exhaust port, apressure pipe connecting said casing to the steam chamber ofthecontrolling valve, a steam inlet valve and an exhaust valve movablein unison within said casing, said exhaust valve being held constantlyunder steam pressure and when held thereby to its seat unseats saidsteam valve, the seating of the latter by the prime mover unseating theexhaust valve as against the steam pressure.

4. In a feed water regulator, the combination with a chamber designed tobe connected with the steam and water spaces of a boiler, and a primemover located therein, of a controlling valve in the feed line having asteam chamber, a casing having a steam inlet port and an exhaust port, apressure pipe connecting said casing to the steam chamber of thecontrolling valve, a steam inlet valve and an exhaust valve movable inVertical line With each other Within said In testimony whereof, I havesigned this easing, said steam inlet valve and exhaust specification inthe presence of tWo subvalve being connected together, sald exhaustsorlblng Wltnesses.

valve being constantly under steam pres- LOUIS B. FULTON. sure and Whenheld thereby to its seat un- Vitnesses:

seats said steam valve, the seating of Which e WM. C. CHAPLIN,

latter unseats the exhaust valve. WM. MCKEE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

` Washington, D. C.

